The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I just keep getting approached by the citizens of North Andros, recently at 12.45pm today, and how difficult it has been to have to travel to Nassau to do their business? But how do the powers-that-be justify not having this fundamental very necessary bridge between wages, cheques, hard currencies and being able to pay the food bills, utilities, etcetera?

We have just had the general elections back in 2022, and surely, whilst on the campaign trail, complaints were made of this matter in the caption, and the promises made to remediate whatever was the problem, three years in, the lack of banking facilities remains. I have heard certain reasoning toward insufficient business, but you know, we still have the national airline Bahamasair travelling into the southern islands of the country, where fewer than a few people live, no problem there justifying the government’s subvention et cetera. And I get it, but given the existence of our Bahamian bank, the Bank Of The Bahamas, how much different is the basis of that decision from that of relocating a branch of the BOB in North Andros, even if the staffing were localised?

The Bahamian people have grown tired of the lame excuses and the nonplussed, puzzling sniffy, arrant nonsense, the lackadaisical postures subscribed, actions, or non actions not only seen, but spoken of, why this, that, the others were not done, when there was obligation, standing under the law (obligatory-so to do), absolutely specifically mandated, duty bound to perform those non conditional tasks?

Editor, North Androsians were asking whether or not their district is not considered a part of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas? Why the prejudices? Stuff was being done in South Andros, Exuma Island, on Grand Bahama, Eleuthera, Cat Island, the Abacos, Bimini, but not for North Andros, why were the residents of the district asking? Not even the school started during the last administration has come to a screeching halt, why? Was there not a sum of money put aside to cover the construction, and incidentals with the work stoppages? Any delay affects the children, deprives North Androsian children their stake in the public treasury consolidated fund, a set of facilities that belong to all Bahamians, no matter the Island domiciled in?

We, the descendants of North Andros, do wish to ask the government why don’t, didn’t they consider taking a percentage of the US $28m yearly leased property at Fresh Creek, Andros-be-retained for the jumpstarting the economy of North Andros district, not yet approved many years in?

It becomes perilous to rely on this small populous Island of New Providence and the City of Nassau, the center of commerce, shouldering the economic, financial loads for the entire Commonwealth of The Bahamas, when the mechanisms were created to empower each district, Island, settlements of our Family of Islands to be able to defend for themselves, ought to be more palatable to the authorities, than the other islands looking for handouts from the central government, is really not progress, but dependency, backwardness, a stifling of the creative juices and futures of Bahamians? If there are no banking facilities for a district comprising nine settlements, what really were your powers that be, were trying to tell North Androsian Of Which I am a proud descendant? and compelled to point out that down through the century my grandparents tilled the soil and made it possible for people of today, to thrive, and to exist, their labours were now being denigrated, under appreciated, why though?

FRANK GILBERT

Nassau,

October 24, 2024.